The Raiden Rangers
by Sir Illedryan Gailwynds
Summary: After the defeat of Shao Kahn, Raiden realizes that he needs to recruit some new warriors to help defeat whatever evil forces remain.
1. Prologue

_**Author's Notes**: The idea for this story came to me while a friend and I played the new Mortal Kombat game for ps3. We were going through each character's individual arcade ending and when we came to Raiden (my favorite), it ended with him essentially splitting his essence into four individuals who would go off in the direction of the four winds to fight evil, well after this I made the joke of how he is starting his own 'Raiden Rangers' and that is how this story came to be. _

For centuries I have watched over Earthrealm as it's Protector and Defender. I have tried to keep it safe from the possible threats of invasion, though I have failed in the past. With the Outworld Emperor, Shao Kahn, now dead it seems I can turn my attentions towards the other realms that would try to invade Earthrealm. The Necromancer Quan Chi and the Fallen God, Shinnok, as his master in the Netherrealm plots and schemes to attack Earthrealm.

In the last conflict with Shao Kahn, his Empresses Sindel slaughtered nearly all of the great warriors of Earthrealm. While Lui Kang and I sought council from the Elder Gods, Nightwolf and the others defended the Cathedral base from an attack by the Lin Kuie cyborgs. The attack was only to weaken our defenses for the coming of Queen Sindel, she succeeded in slaughtering nearly all of the Earthrealm warriors. Nightwolf did what he could to let those who remained only wounded escape, then in a ray of blinding light he sacrificed himself in order to kill Queen Sindel.

When Lui Kang and I returned from our audience with the Elder Gods, we witnessed the carnage that had been left in Sindel's wake. Kitana, Jade, Sonya, and Johnny where the only ones who had escaped the onslaught with their lives. Lui Kang tended to the wounded while I called upon Quan Chi in the Netherrealm as a last resort to help against Shao Kahn. Quan Chi revealed that Shao Kahn had bargained for the Netherrealm's loyalties with the souls of those who had fallen at the hands of his invasion. I was attacked by my fallen comrades, now under the control of Quan Chi, but they could not prevent my escape. The few who remained alive prepared for the final confrontation with Shao Kahn, where in I realized that my visions were telling me to let the Emperor invade Earthrealm. Lui Kang became enraged at the thought of this, and when I tried to stop him from attacking the Emperor, his powers of flame became intwined with my electrical aura causing a violent reaction and finally his death. His last words to me were, "You have killed us all!"

As I grieved over the lose of such a great warrior, Shao Kahn crossed the barrier from Outworld into Earthrealm. I greated him with a submissive bow, knowing full well that as he crossed into Earthrealm he was breaking the laws of Mortal Kombat and there by must be punished by the Elder Gods. Shao Kahn thought this a trick and began to attack me and I let him as I waited for the Elder Gods' judgement. Soon they came from their seats on high and used me as a conduit to deliver their wraith upon him.

After his death I could not help but prepare for the next possible invasion, and with so many of our comrades deceased I sought to replace them. Knowing that Quan Chi and Shinnok would soon take advantage of our weakness, I thought to imbue these new warriors with my essence and become their commander, this way there would be more than one Protector of Earthrealm with the power of a Thunder God. I began to search for warriors with such worth.

I have scoured much of the globe, and I have come to a place called Angel Grove. There, I found five young warriors who seemed worthy enough to bestow with my gift. I must test them first, with the help of my newly acquired ally, Cyrax. We reprogrammed some of the Lin Kuei cyborgs that had fallen in the Cathedral attack, to attack the young warriors. If they can put aside their differences and all their insecurities to pass this test, and join together, they will have proven themselves worthy. They will become a more powerful force than the world has ever seen.

They will become the Raiden Rangers.


	2. Chapter 1: Come Together

**Raiden Rangers**

**Chapter I: Come Together**

Jason sat at his desk, his leg bounced up and down in anticipation. After school let out he started his second year of teaching karate at the Angel Grove Youth Center. He had loved karate ever since he was a little kid, and he loved the idea of teaching it even more. He was very nervous though, because last year only a few people had showed up. Only one person had come to the class regularly. His name was Billy Cranston. He was a good student, and learned really well but he had that sort of nerdy awkwardness about him. Even with his 'quirks' Jason had taken a liking to Billy, he thought he was an alright guy and hoped he came back this year because he was a promising student.

"JASON!" Came the sharp voice of Mrs. Garner that snapped him out of his thought.

"Well...answer the question Jason," she said. Just as he had opened his mouth the bell rang, and the whole class was gone before Mrs. Garner even had the chance to tell them about tomorrow's assignment.

Jason walked toward his locker at the end of the hallway when he heard someone shouting for him. He turned to see that it was his best friend Zachary or Zack as he preferred everyone to call him.

"Jason, how's it going man? Finally ready to get your karate on?" Zack said as he did a little chop with his hand.

"Hopefully more people show up this time..." Jason laughed weakly.

"Man, you are too strict with your training. You gotta have _some_ fun. Why do you think so many people show up to my dance class?" Jason said as he spun around and moon-walked.

"You're right, but karate is about discipline and focus. Not fun." Jason replied as he stuffed books into his bag.

"You gotta find the common ground, when I say fun I don't mean all crazy. Just a balance to keep people coming," Zack laughed.

"Hey, how did that science test go?" Jason asked changing the subject.

"Oh no sweat, I crammed during lunch. I think I got at least a A-," Zack replied.

Suddenly Zack and Jason heard a strange tune getting louder. They both looked at each other and groaned when they realized what it was.

"Well look here Skull, it's the studentless sensei!" Bulk said giving Skull a tap on the shoulder as he laughed.

"You shouldn't call it karate classes, you should call it...not karate classes," Skull said as he pressed the stop button on the boom box he was carrying on his shoulder. Bulk slapped him in the back of the head, obviously not approving of the joke he made.

"You would call it that wouldn't you Skull, but I would call you 'not karate class' material," Jason said with a chuckle.

"What's that supposed to mean 'sensei'?" Bulk sneered.

"Oh nothing, just how you guys would give up before the class even starts," Zack replied.

"Oh yeah? Well I say we can do anything you dish out," growled Skull.

"Yeah, challenge accepted, losers!" Bulk agreed.

As Bulk and Skull made their way down the hall Jason's girlfriend Kimberly was walking toward them. Bulk gave her a bit of a shove as he passed her causing her to drop her books.

"HEY!" She shouted.

Jason and Zack helped her pick her stuff up and Jason said to her. "Don't worry about those guys."

"Are you heading straight over to the Youth Center for your class?" She asked him.

"It doesn't start for a little while, maybe we can go hang out at Ernie's Juice Bar." he said nervously.

"Hey man, look! I know you are worried that only Billy is gonna show up, but that is still one student!" Zack said trying to cheer him up.

"I'm gonna head home and get ready first, I'll meet you guys at the center," Jason said.

As he walked away Zack and Kimberly could see that all of their advice was of no use, he was still nervous. They knew he had every right to be nervous, but they still worried about him.

* * *

><p>I have been watching these young warriors for days now, and I am sure that I have made the right decision but I must be sure so today Cyrax and I shall send the Lin Kuei cyborgs to attack them. First I must wait until they are all in one place to see if they will band together or fall apart under the circumstances.<p>

* * *

><p>Jason was at the Youth Center by 2:30, fifteen minutes before his class was scheduled to begin. He set up his mock dojo in the classroom they had assigned to him. Much to his dismay, Billy was the only person there.<p>

"Ready to learn, sensei," Billy bowed.

"Let's forget the lesson today. What do you say? What kind of stuff do you like to do for fun?" Jason asked.

"What do I do for...fun?" Billy repeated the question, a little surprised.

"You know what Billy, we should go hang out at the Juice Bar. That'll be fun won't it?" Jason chuckled.

"Do you mind if I invite a friend of mine from the Matheletes?" Billy asked.

At first Jason was a little hesitant, but he decided it was supposed to be fun for his students and Billy was his only student.

"Why the heck not?" Jason smiled.

"Great I will go find a phone," he laughed as he rushed from the room.

* * *

><p>Soon they were sitting at booth in at Ernie's waiting for Billy's friend. Jason decided this would be a good time to get to know Billy a little better.<p>

"So, Billy. If you don't mind me asking...why did you decided to take karate classes?"

"Look," Billy began a to say very nervously. "I get picked on a lot at school...for being a smart kid. These two bullies Bulk and Skull, they like to beat me up. Plus, didn't you watch that news from New York a few days ago? Some sort of alien invasion," he finally blurted.

"I think that was a hoax, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea here, Billy. Karate isn't so you can go out an kick the crap out of someone, that would make you just like Bulk and Skull. You must only use karate so you can defend yourself from them," Jason explained.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just tired of being scared," Billy said with a weak smile.

"Listen, Bulk and Skull give me and my friends their bull crap too. Knowing karate isn't going to stop the bullying, but it will stop you from being scared."

Just as Jason finished his sentence, Zack and Kimberly sat down at the booth.

"Hey guys, how's everything going?" Jason said.

"This is Billy by the way, I think he is gonna start hanging out with us...if he is cool with it?" Jason looked at Billy as he said this. Billy's eyes lit up and he nodded his head in excitement.

"Hi Billy, my name is Zachary Taylor. But you can call me Zack, everyone does," Zack said shaking Billy's hand.

"My name is Kimberly Hart," Kimberly smiled as she introduced herself.

"You guys can just call me Billy, I have a friend meeting us here and I am a little worried she said she would be here at 3 o' clock, it's ten after..." Billy said as he looked at his wrist watch.

"Do you wanna go see if she is outside?" Zack asked Billy.

"Yes, please," Billy replied.

Once outside they didn't see anything, but as they were going to head back into the Youth Center they heard a scream.

"Sounds like Trini!" Billy shouted as he charged toward the sound. The others briefly looked at each other and followed, but Billy had a good fifty yard lead on them already. What they came upon was something that none of them had ever expected to see in their lives.


	3. Chapter 2: A Hard Day

**Raiden Rangers**

**Chapter II: A Hard Day's Night**

When the teenagers arrived to save their friend they were stunned. They had never seen a anything like the Lin Kuei before, this was no surprise to me. Most humans do not have any knowledge of the other realms or the constant threats against Earthrealm. This would cause to much panic and chaos in the streets, more lives would be lost due to this than to an invasion itself. These teenager will have to overcome the fact that other realms and beings do exist if they want to help protect the realm.

"Trini?" Billy gasped when he saw her. She was unconscious at the feet of these metal creatures but she only looked to have a few superficial cuts and bruises.

"This one has been incapacitated," said one of the creatures in his mechanical voice. Jason and the others where confused as to what these creatures where.

"Billy what are those things?" Zack asked.

"I'm not sure but they look like...robots! I've never seen anything like them!" He said as he rubbed his sweating forehead.

"Whatever they are, they don't look friendly. Look they have Trini!" Jason said firmly.

"What are we gonna do?" Kimberly asked.

"We are gonna save Trini," Billy said with confidence. The group ready themselves into a fighting pose. There were four robots, one for each of them they thought.

"Lin Kuei Unit 49-23, preparing to take human for assimilation," said one of the robots. As it said this it looked to see the four teens watching it.

"Unit 49-23, preparing for KOMBAT!" It gave a nod and the others soon followed suit and began to prepare for kombat.

"Hey, Tin-man! You're about to be recycled," Jason said as he ran towards unit 49-23.

He charged it and jumped for a flying kick but the robot caught his leg in mid air and shifted his momentum as it tossed him back first into a car. Jason had no time to react though, because as soon as he knew where he was, the robot had him off the ground and was choking him.

"Pathetic humans, we are the Lin Kuei! More stealthful than the night. More deadly than the DAWN!"

As Jason was lifted to his feet by the robot, Zack had already sprung into action. He moved toward his friend. The rest of the guys began to follow him into battle. Zack jumped into the air and went flying over one of the robots heads. Then as he landed he saw that two where standing in the way of Jason and what he thought must have been the leader. He landed on his hands and gracefully turned himself sideways to cartwheel in between the two soldiers that stood in his way. Then he shifted into a backflip and landed right behind the leader.

"Put down my friend, you rusted hunk of junk!" He shouted as he kicked the robot in the side. This caused the robot to drop Jason, who staggered back a way to catch his breath.

"How about fightin' me for a while?" Zack said with a sly smile.

While this took place Billy made his way to Trini and helped her to her feet.

"Are you all right Trini?" Billy asked as she stood up. She quickly dusted off her clothes and nodded her head yes.

"They jumped me from behind. I have no idea who they are..." She said with some pain in her voice.

"One of them said they where...Lin...Kuei? Do you know what that means at all?" He said with a puzzled look. She looked at him for a moment as she thought. Then she snapped her fingers as if to say 'a-ha!'

"Lin Kuei means 'forest demons', but these are not demons. They are assassins from China." She said.

"If these are Chinese assassins...what are they doing here?" Billy replied. Trini shrugged.

"Look OUT!" He shouted as one of them came rushing toward them.

Trini ran toward the assassin as Billy followed her. She dropped down and spun around, this knocked the robot off it's feet. As it was in the air, Billy grabbed the braided wires that he thought were meant to look like hair and drove the robot face first into the hard pavement. It made a loud sick crunch that Billy knew was more than just the metal. Trini then grabbed the wires that connected it's main power unit to it's head and yanked them hard. Black goo oozed from the wires. The robot made one final twitch.

Billy looked up and saw that Zack had managed to help Jason escape the leader's clutches, but was now being overpowered by two of the robots. Jason was busy fighting the leader, and Kimberly was in some serious trouble of her own.

"Trini, you go help Zack while I help Kimberly!" Billy said as he began to run toward Kimberly. Trini nodded and front flipped toward the two robots attacking Zack.

Billy reached Kimberly as the robot picked her up over its shoulder. It began to bear hug her and she gasped for air.

"Pull the wires on it's back quick!" He shouted. As she pulled the wires Billy slid down and kicked it directly in the left knee, snapping it backwards. Kimberly being on it's shoulder caused it to lose balance and it fell face first the same as it's companion before. The same sick crunch was heard.

"Thanks...Billy," Kimberly gasped.

"Everyone, the wires on their backs are their weakness," Billy shouted. Trini had already dispatched one of the two that was after Zack, and Jason had taken care of the leader.

"Last one is mine!" Zack said as kicked the last robot in the face. It spun around leaving it's back open for Zack to grab the wires and pull. Then he lifted his foot again and kicked it directly in the back and bringing it down hard enough to break it's chest plate.

They have defeated the Lin Kuei cyborgs as a team. It is time I make my presence known to them.

"What the hell?" Kimberly exclaimed.

"I'm with you on that one," Zack said. Billy looked at one of the robots, it's face plate was cracked.

"You guys, come take a look at this..." He said. As they gathered around the robot's now inactive body, he removed the helmet.

"They were cyborgs," all of them stood looking at each other and then at Billy.

"They were half human, and half machine," he explained.

"But where did they come from?" Jason asked.

"Trini said that the Lin Kuei are a secret assassin organization in China, like a Mafia of sorts," he continued. Just as they began to walk away from the carnage, the sky turned black and a bolt of lightning struck the ground before them.

"Warriors meet me on the outskirts of town, I wish to speak with you in private about your victory over the Lin Kuei," a voice said from within the bolt of lightning. They were still completely stunned by the time it had gone, and only Trini had anything to say.

"We must go," she said sternly.

"What is going on today? Go WHERE?" Zack said with a puzzled look.

"That was the Thunder God Raiden, protector of Earth. I thought he was just a myth," she finished quietly.

"If he knows anything about these Lin Kuei, I want to find some answers," Jason said.

"Did you say...Thunder God?" Billy gulped.

They headed back into the Youth Center and straight for Ernie's Juice bar.

"Hey, there you are Jason!" Ernie smiled. He looked at them and his face turned from happy to confused. "You guys don't look so good."

"We're fine, we gotta go. I just wanted to pay for the juice we got," Jason lied.

"I guess it's on me this time," as he said this Bulk and Skull walked in.

"Hey Loser! We showed up for your little 'class' and no one was there!" Bulk said with a growl.

"Yeah, they musta known we were coming and ran to their mommies!" Skull laughed in his high pitch cackle. Jason and the others were content to just walk by these two idiots but as they did Bulk grabbed a hold of Billy's collar.

"And you were supposed to give us money to buy our drinks," he said darkly. As Bulk stared at Billy, he hadn't realized the two juices that he had ordered for himself and Skull had arrived. Billy grabbed them and dumped them on him and Skull. Bulk was blind and lost his balance knocking himself and Skull into the tray a waitress had, causing it to send the drinks that were there into the air and back down onto him and his companions heads. The place roared wildly.

"Looks like it's on them this time Jason!" Billy smiled as he laughed. The rest of the gang laughed for a moment as they watched Bulk and Skull try to clean themselves off. Then they where back to the task and hand.

* * *

><p>They headed to the most likely place they were going to find this Raiden and that was to the west of Angel Grove. Toward the Angel Grove Hills, a place where not many people went save for geologists studying the rocks and the large hills. This place was nearly a desert, all it needed was the occasional tumbleweed to blow through. None the less they thought this would be the place to find this so called <em>Thunder God<em>, it was the only place they thought would be private enough to his liking.

Just as they were beginning to wonder if they were going in the right direction the sky turned black, and a flash of lightning followed by a monstrous boom stopped them dead in their places.

"You have finally come," said the man. He was a strange fellow indeed they thought as they looked upon him. His eyes were completely white, as if glazed over and blind. He wore a white outfit, with a kind of blue apron over it, and a medallion on his chest with a jewel in the center. Upon his head he wore a conical hat. Trini bowed to him, and the others did as well.

"I see one among you has heard of me." He gave a small nod and let them stand.

"I have come to you for one reason, and that is to ask for your assistance in the defense of Earthrealm," he continued.

"Hold on...first we have some questions of our own!" Jason exclaimed. Raiden eyed him for a moment before speaking again.

"I know exactly what you are thinking, Jason." Raiden started. Jason's eye flashed a bit of confusion to the others. They all shared this confusion, all except for Trini.

As a child her grandfather had told her of the Thunder God Raiden and his unending quest to protect the Earth from evil forces. She was stunned to find him real, but not confused as to why he was asking for their help. Still she remained silent out of respect.

"You have all proven yourselves worthy, you defeated the Lin Kuei assassins like I had thought you would." Raiden continued as he paced in front of them looking at each one as he walked by.

"Master Raiden, do you wish us to join you in Mortal Kombat?" Trini asked as she bowed again. He stopped and looked at her for a moment, the others just stared at her as if she were insane.

"No, the Mortal Kombat tournament is over for now. Earthrealm has won the tournament and the Elder Gods will not tolerate any one who would dare to defy them. But this victory came at a high price, only two of my warriors have survived and that is why I am here to ask you to join me. Earthrealm may no longer be at risk of merger but there is still the threat of Shinnok, and Quan Chi of the Netherrealm. Even now as we speak, I can sense that they are plotting something unspeakable." He stated as he continued to pace.

"You sent those things to attack us? And now you want us to help you?" Jason asked, completely shocked at the thought.

"It was a test. Had you not been able to defeat them, I would have simply called them off and let you return to your normal lives." Raiden said as he put a calming hand on Jason's shoulder.

"Look at Trini! They banged her up pretty bad!" Billy said defiantly. Raiden took his hand from Jason's shoulder and approached her. He curled his finger and lifted her face with it, he turned her head from side to side and gave a small nod of agreement.

"Stand back, it is time I showed you the power of a God." Raiden said as he clapped his hands together.

"_Ook nagwia. Kmmak l' nocti, uiyot!" _He shouted as he pulled his hands part. The sky turned black and thunder and lightning could be seen and heard. From his eyes shot electrical surges, and his hands glowed as he laid them on Trini's head. Jason and the others watched in amazement as a bright white light flashed and she was perfectly healed.

"Do you still doubt me?" Raiden asked knowing they could not answer due to complete bewilderment.

They looked at each other and then to Jason, he was their unofficial leader and they would stand by whatever he said. He knew this would mean the end of normal life as they knew it and to be completely honest he was terrified. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Zack who gave him a reassuring smile. Then Billy placed his hand on the other shoulder, followed by Kimberly and Trini.

"We accept your offer, Lord Raiden." He smiled and they all bowed with him.

"Good, good. I see you have already chosen the one among you to lead. I couldn't agree more." Raiden began. Raiden outstretched his hand with his staff and motioned for them to grab onto it.

"For now I will take you home, it was a long and hard day for you all. Tomorrow we shall meet here at dawn." Raiden smiled. As soon as he was finished they were all engulfed in a flash of lightning. Each of them was amazed, it felt as if their whole body was pure energy. They where excited, and still a little fearful of things to come.


	4. Chapter 3: Helter Skelter

**Raiden Rangers**

**Chapter 3: Helter Skelter**

_**Author's Notes:** So,this is finally the chapter where we see our heroes become the all powerful Raiden Rangers. In other chapters I felt that it would be nice to preserve the cheesy yet feel good nature of the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, but when it comes to Mortal Kombat there is a certain sadistic quality to it's villains, and I felt that since the Rangers will know that enemies are looking to KILL them, they would have no problem with fighting the same way. No there may not be fatalities because it's more fights on the fly instead of the tournament from the game, but if I ever do decide to use a tournament in my story, take comfort in knowing that I will create original and unique fatalities for each of the Raiden Rangers. I will try to make this story a nice culmination of everything we loved from Power Rangers and Mortal Kombat. Also sorry this chapter took me so long to write, but I was very busy doing research into the MK Universe and the Skarlett DLC came out so I had to play MK9 for a while, lol. Thanks for reading._

_Illedryan Gailwynd._

As he crossed the vast throne room, Quan Chi rubbed his gloved hands together in thought.

"What plots are you scheming now, necromancer?" came a voice from the Shadow Throne. Quan Chi bowed with an evil smile to his master, the Fallen God Shinnok.

"I was just reveling in how excellent the plan for Shao Kahn's defeat was executed, my Lord," Quan Chi continued his smile. Shinnok stood up from the throne and placed a hand upon Quan Chi's pale shoulder.

"Yes, I must say it was quite an excellent idea for you to pledge the Netherrealm's allegiance to him...in exchange for Earthrealm's warriors souls," his lips curled back to reveal his yellowed teeth. Quan Chi stood again, and waved his hand to summon his minions into the throne room. They all bowed before their master's master.

"And now with Raiden weak," Shinnok began. "We can destroy my weak nemesis and what remains of his pitiful Earthrealm Defenders," His laughter echoed throughout the throne room. Then he sat back down upon the Shadow Throne.

"Prepare the attack!" Quan Chi exclaimed to his servants. Again they bowed and left the throne room. Quan Chi looked back toward the Shadow Throne, all that could be seen was the soft glow of Shinnok's eyes.

* * *

><p>Billy awoke in a cold sweat. His dream was a particularly frightening one, that seemed all too real to him. In his dream, a strange pale man with symbols tattooed on his body, was attacking Angel Grove. He shook his head of these thoughts and looked out his window. As the fog rolled away he pretended it was the shattered remnants of his horrible dream leaving him, and it calmed his nerves. He jumped out of his bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. He was in a hurry, he was anxious to see what Raiden had to say.<p>

* * *

><p>Zack pulled the cover back over his head. He tried to fluff his pillow, when he realized it was no longer under his head. He sat up and noticed that he was levitating 12 inches above his bed.<p>

"Oh, my God!" He cried aloud.

"Zachary, are you alright up there?" Came a voice from downstairs.

"Sorry Mom, it was just a big spider," he called back nervously. He couldn't help but try to get down. He grabbed onto the bed post and pulled himself to the floor. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, he slowly let go of the bed. He peeked with one eye and saw that he was still on the floor, and then he wiped his sweating forehead in relief. He hurried to talk to Raiden and the others.

"_Maybe someone else is having strange things happen to them as well..." _He thought. "_I hope I'm not the only one..."_

* * *

><p>Raiden stood upon the edge of a gorge, it was about a 50 foot drop. He thought that this was a good place to build the Ranger Command Center, no one came around here and so no one would ever find it. He closed his eyes and and raised his hands to the sky.<p>

"_T'nok uuya, nostfin rei'legh," _he began as black clouds gathered at his command. "_F'nostra, engratos mutta, estrigaaaa!_"

As he finished his chant, lightning struck him and the Earth began to shift under his feet. The lower part of the gorge began to open and from the great crevice slowly rose the Command Center. Raiden had summoned it forth from the depths, and now he waited for the Rangers to arrive.

He only waited for a moment or two, the Rangers must have followed the clouds to his position he smiled to himself. This was a sign of good observation skills, and this again made Raiden smile.

"Rangers, I see you have finally arrived. To be honest I thought you might not show, I would not have blamed you had you thought yesterday's events only a strange dream," he chuckled.

"No, the pain is all to real," Jason sighed as he rubbed his neck.

"You wouldn't mind doing that thing you did for Trini would you?" Jason smiled inquisitively. Raiden shook his head and pointed to Kimberly.

"Becoming Raiden Rangers entitles you to...certain advantages," he said mysteriously. They all looked at Kimberly in confusion and she nervously smiled.

"This morning when I woke up I stubbed my toe and when I touched the broken nail, the pain and the crack was gone," she explained.

"Soon you will find that you all shall have the powers of a Thunder God, but some of you will get unique abilities based upon your personalities and skills," Raiden began.

"Trini, you have the speed and grace of many warriors, you now have the power to create duplicates of yourself with electrical energy," He said motion for her to step forward. She concentrated for a moment, and began to sweat a little. Then next to her appeared a silhouette of herself. She took a deep breath and it disappeared.

"Do not worry, in time you will grow stronger," he smiled as she stepped back in line with the others. Next he motioned for Zack to come forward.

"You have the grace and swiftness of the crane, but what is a crane if it cannot fly?" He said waving his hand toward the edge of the cliff. Zack stood at the edge trembling, he was terrified that he might not be able to fly. As he was about to back away from the ledge, he felt a push.

"AAAAAAAH!" He closed his eyes as he screamed. He waited to hit the ground but when he opened his eyes he saw he was still level with the others although not on the ground. Raiden laughed and grabbed his hand to pull him back to the ground.

"Billy, you have a brilliant mind. Using your mathematical skills to predict the outcome of events. You have the gift of _sight,_" Billy stepped forward a little and then began to speak.

"This morning I had a strange dream, some strange person was planning an attack on Angel Grove," Billy stated very seriously. Raiden put his hand to his chin and began to think.

"I had not thought Quan Chi, and Shinnok would mobilize so quickly. We must get you ready for the perils that are ahead," he raised his hand to the sky, and in a flash they were at the bottom of the gorge staring at the Command Center.

"Hey, what about my powers?" Jason asked.

"You Jason are a special one indeed, you have many skills that would help you fight evils, but it is hard to choose which one to enhance with this gift. It may take me some time to choose what to bestow you with," Raiden replied placing a hand on his shoulder.

"But first, I must show you the Raiden Ranger's Command Center," Raiden smiled.

* * *

><p>"Lord Shinnok," Quan Chi bowed. The Shadow Throne sat empty. Quan Chi looked up and approached it. He had some small curiosity of what it felt to sit upon it. He did not indulge himself though, he knew Shinnok would appear as soon as he did sit down.<p>

"You dare approach the Shadow Throne in my absence, necromancer?" Came Shinnok's ominous voice. Quan Chi immediately bowed.

"No your excellence, I was merely admiring it's craftsmanship," he lied.

"I know when you are lying,but I am in a generous mood today. What news do you have of Raiden in the Earthrealm?" Shinnok said as he sat down smugly.

"I have assigned the task to Noob Saibot. He and his Brotherhood of Shadows are investigating," Quan Chi stated.

"I imagined you will oversee any problems we may have?" Shinnok asked.

"Should he or the Brotherhood make a mistake you mean, Lord Shinnok? I shall deal with him personally," Quan Chi replied.

"That is exactly what I meant, and as I say again... should they make any error it is on your head," Shinnok snarled. Quan Chi nodded in agreement.

"As you command, Lord Shinnok."

"Now leave me, I would like to spend a moment or two with my thoughts," Shinnok said as he sat down. As Quan Chi began to walk out of the Throne room, Shinnok spoke.

"I want to send you to Earthrealm, we need a base of operations," Shinnok gave a sly smile. Quan Chi felt a tinge of anger, he knew this was his punishment for approaching the Throne.

"Yes, Lord Shinnok," Quan Chi said as he opened a portal to Earth. After he disappeared Shinnok laughed maniacally, the chilling sound echoing through the hall.

Quan Chi stepped out of the portal. His eyes were not yet used to the light of Earthrealm and so he raised his hand to shade his face. He was in an unknown forest, alone.

"This is not amusing!" He said to himself. People could be heard from afar, he headed toward them.

* * *

><p>"This has to be the most advanced computer terminal I've ever seen!" Billy said in amazement. Raiden laughed again.<p>

"I'm glad to see the Command Center is to your liking,"Raiden's face took on a look of grave seriousness. "But now we must get down to business,"

There was a giant glass tube in the middle of the room, and Raiden walked toward it. "First, I must tell you of our enemies," Raiden began. From the ceiling lowered a viewing globe, it functioned so that Raiden could watch the Rangers from the Command Center. As Raiden talked to them about what to expect images appeared and went.

"Before the realms of Mortal Kombat came into existence, there was the One Being, which comprised all of known reality. The Elder Gods waged war and created the Kamidogu, powerful weapons used to shatter the One Being. The Elder Gods then created the realms from its body, with Earthrealm as the center of power. Even though the One Being was shattered, its divided mind plotted through exceptionally powerful individuals. It acted through Onaga at first, and would later through Shao Kahn, both unaware of its manipulations. Both tried to take Earthrealm under their control and then to merge the realms that remained would become a much easier undertaking. If this were to happen it would mean the end of all things as we know it, and not even the Elder Gods would be safe against the One Being's reign of terror," Raiden told them.

"But...Raiden if you're a god why do you have to have us help you protect Earthrealm? Can't you just destroy the foes that would threaten it? And besides aren't those Shao Kahn and Onaga dudes dead?" Zack asked.

"The difference between the Elder Gods, and Raiden, is that the Elder Gods watch over all realms. Raiden is an Earthrealm god, and therefore would have to power over someone from a different realm. It's like if Raiden was the lord of a region in medieval times, and the Elder Gods are the Kings," Trini explained.

"There are fifteen Elder Gods in total, one from everyone of these realms. Several realms of key importance are," Raiden began again.

"The Chaosrealm is a world where chaos is practiced by its inhabitants as a religion, so, unlike other realms, it has no form of government whatsoever. Therefore, the Chaosrealmers reflect their world's chaotic nature, and hold absolute freedom and change in the highest esteem, relishing in chaos and living in an absolute anarchy.

As the polar opposite of Chaosrealm, Seido is a place where law, order and structure prevail above anything else. It appears to be a clear, advanced, highly urbanized and civilized world. It is rare for it's denizens to travel the realms in force however, as they detest the 'disorderly' state of things beyond their own realm but their fiercest warriors occasionally venture forth on crusades of sorts to halt the spread of Chaos and bring Order, whether it is wanted or not.

A very lush and fertile world with slowly aging inhabitants, Edenia is also a feudal monarchy ruled by Queen Sindel and her daughter Princess Kitana. The earliest known ruler of Edenia was King Jerrod, the husband of Sindel and the father of Kitana, but he was killed by Shao Kahn. Edenia also has a military force called the 'Edenian Resistance' also known as the Edenian Knights of which the kombatant Jade is the general.

A realm composed of thousands of different layers. Deceased souls or entities who have committed major crimes descend into the Netherrealm to undergo endless torture. In fact, one cannot enter the Netherrealm without being evil or have a soul tainted by evil. You perceive this realm as Hell, and true to your beliefs one of its former rulers was Lucifer. It is the darkest region of reality inhabited by demons, monsters, and beings of the purest evil. Millions of years ago, the fallen Elder God Shinnok was banished there. After ages of imprisonment, he was able to break free, deposing Lucifer in the process. He restructured the realm to bear some resemblance to Earthrealm, the world which he had long desired to make his own. He later used it as a staging ground for the invasion of Edenia, but found himself cast into the depths of the realm again after this invasion was foiled.

Now with the help of the powerful necromancer Quan Chi, the man you saw in your dream, Billy, he is again in control of this realm. Though he is not yet free from the realm, and cannot be free until he can find some way to defeat me, his agents are many and varied. Other than the various demons he may convince to cross the barrier between realms the most likely foes you will face will be the Brotherhood of Shadows, an organization made up of the souls of many fallen warriors," he paused for a moment.

"Master Raiden, is it not time to bestow upon them your gift?" Came a voice from behind them. It was a yellow robot, it looked like the Lin Kuei soldiers they had fought before.

"You are right indeed, Cyrax," Raiden answered. "Rangers, this is Cyrax. He was formerly a member of the Lin Kuei, but he stood against the Grand Master's assimilation idea but unfortunately he was captured and turned into the cyborg you see before you," Raiden informed them.

"I regained control of my _soul_ in the end however,and I no longer serve the Lin Kuei," Cyrax bowed. He pressed a few buttons on the console, and then nodded to Raiden.

"Once I give you the powers of the Raiden Rangers, I will no longer have a physical body. This containment tube will keep my electrical essence here in Earthrealm so that I may help and guide you during your trials," Raiden explained.

"It'll be like on of those plasma bulbs!" Billy said. "You know, you touch the glass bulb and it looks like lightning is shooting out of your fingers?" He looked at them and they all nodded in agreement, even though they understood what Raiden had meant the first time.

"So lucky to have you here to put it in layman's terms," Raiden said with a chuckle as he stepped into the chamber. Cyrax closed the door behind him, and then began to press buttons on the console again.

"Now I must have you close your eyes. Turn on the chamber, Cyrax," Raiden said. The console began to light up and the room started to darken.

Each one of them started to feel the same way they had when they were transported in the lightning. Although this felt as if it was a more powerful energy, and they all started to float in the air. When they opened their eyes they could see the changes that had happened. Each of them wore an outfit similar to the one that Raiden had wore, but instead of a uniform blue tunic each had a specific color. Jason the leader wore red, Billy was honored to wear blue like Raiden had. Trini was in yellow, and Kimberly was in pink, while Zack wore black.

"Rangers," Raiden began to with a boom. "As you can see, you are now completely transformed into the Raiden Rangers. Each of you has an amulet, that has the symbol of your power animal and it is a communicator linked to each other and the Command Center," Raiden continued.

"Jason has the Tyrannosaurus Rex the symbol of power and leadership. Zack has the Mastodon, symbol of force and strength. Kimberly has the Pterodactyl, symbol of freedom and majesty. Trini has the Saber-tooth, the symbol of aggression and courage. Billy, with the Triceratops, the symbol of wisdom and kindness but not without it's strength," Raiden finished.

They all smiled up at Raiden and he did as well. Suddenly the alarm went off. "Trouble, Lord Raiden, in the city!" Cyrax shouted.

"Is it Quan Chi?" Raiden asked turning his attention to the monitor.

"I'm not sure!" Cyrax answered. "But it's coming from the park."

"Send the Rangers to the Angel Grove park," Raiden commanded. Cyrax pressed a few buttons on his wrist, and then plugged his finger into the console. Suddenly the Rangers felt the electrical energies surrounding them, and they were transported to the park.

"All right, guys let's do this," Jason said. They were in the middle of the park, nothing looked out of the ordinary but as they grew closer to a group of people they realized what was wrong.

* * *

><p>"They're...dead!" Billy cried in horror. The bodies looked like dried raisins, as if someone had literally sucked the life out of them.<p>

"ATTACK!" Came a voice from behind them and they were surrounded by soldiers in all black.

"These must be the Brotherhood of Shadows!" Billy said.

They sprang into action, each of them leapt toward their opponent. Jason came down with a thunderous blow to the head of one of the attackers. The man stepped back and then he dropped to sweep the leg. Jason jumped and came down on his head again with his heel. His adversary fell back and writhed in pain, Jason then drove his fist into the center of his chest breaking his sternum. His attacker melted into black goo, and Jason turned to find another opponent.

Billy charged his foe and dropped into a sliding kick. The man began to cough as he felt his stomach take the blow. Billy quickly tripped him with a jab to the back of the knee. Dropping to his knees, the foe reacted with an elbow to the mouth. Billy reeled back and touched his face, blood flowed from his open lip.

"Well now, time to get rough," Billy grinned.

He charged again and this time as his opponent came at him he leapt into the air. His foe turned around to meet a karate chop straight to the throat. Billy watched as the soldier melted away like the one Jason had killed.

Zack was tasked with fighting the biggest guy of all. The foe tossed him around for a moment or two and when Zack got in a hit it seemed to no effect. Finally Zack thought of a plan. He dodged the foes charge and grabbed his belt. Then leaping into the air, he began to flew up. His foe began to scream and tried to escape but now they were in the air a good 30ft.

"You want down?" Zack asked coyly. The warrior stopped struggling and looked up at him in confusion. Then nodded his head slowly.

"Ok!" Zack laughed as he let him go. Screaming all the way to the ground, a loud thud and a splash of black goo was all that remained of the fighter.

Trini and Kimberly fought two of their own, each one taking turns attacking their foes. Trini's opponent made the unfortunate mistake of not wearing a face mask like the rest. When he grabbed her and began to squeeze her in attempt to suffocate her, she thrust the heel of her palm directly into his nose and sending the cartilage into his brains. She was released as he disappeared.

Kimberly was more defensive than the rest of the Rangers. She allowed her opponent to make the first move. He laughed and then jumped at her to kick her. Knowing how well this had worked for Jason against the Lin Kuei, she simply side stepped and close lined him in the stomach as he passed by. The soldier did a 360 and landed on his face. Kimberly ran toward the tree line and he gave chase. When they were surrounded by the trees she turned to face him again. He laughed again and pulled out a pair of kunai. She slowly backed into a tree. He laughed even harder when he saw that she was cornered but she had other plans. She felt a small sharp branch poke her in the back, and she hid her relief from the foe. He began to shout as he charged, then he jumped into the air with both kunai ready to cut open her flesh. As he came down she roll dodged away from the tree and the warrior came down upon the branch. He dropped the kunai ,moaning in pain as he faded away.

"Alright guys, there was another one," Jason said looking around. He saw the final warrior.

"I see you were able to defeat them, no matter. You will not be so lucky against me," came the man's rasping voice from under his cowl. Then he simply melted away into the ground.

"Damn!" Jason exclaimed. The Rangers regrouped.

"We are ready to return to the Command Center Cyrax," Jason said into his communicator amulet.

* * *

><p>"Rangers, you have succeeded in your first battle," Raiden greeted them.<p>

"We defeated them, but their leader got away," Jason informed him. Cyrax touched the goo on Trini's outfit. He opened his chest and slid the goo onto a slide and stuck it into his chest. He waited for a moment and then his wrist remote began to blink.

"Lord Raiden, this is the remnants of a Brotherhood of Shadows soldier!" He said. Raiden's face took on a worried look. This made the Rangers uneasy.

"I had thought Noob Siabot had perished during Nightwolf's attack on the Soulnado," Raiden wondered aloud.

"Lord Raiden, if I may clearify something here," Cyrax began.

"Noob Siabot did perish in the Soulnado, but Noob Siabot is the title given to the leader of the Brotherhood of Shadows, in reality he was the wrathful soul of Sub-Zero. Known as Bi-Han to his family, the Sub-Zero killed by Scorpion in the Netherrealm," Cyrax informed him.

"Indeed, Cyrax you are correct," Raiden agreed.

"But today was a victory for the Rangers, let us celebrate."

* * *

><p>In the darkness of the Netherrealm, Quan Chi sat in his skeletal chair. Before him stood the many wraiths of the Brotherhood of Shadows. Before him came the soldier who had escaped the Rangers.<p>

"Did you defeat them?" Quan Chi asked. He stared intensely into the warriors white eyes. The warrior bowed and then began to speak.

"No, but this first confrontation was only a test. I do not see them that they are going to be much of a problem," He said. Then he stood up again.

"You will make an excellent new leader of the Brotherhood of Shadows. But first you must give up your old identity, swear your allegiance to us, and then you shall rule all the other wraiths," Quan Chi told him.

"I am ready, Master."

"You will become Noob Saibot leader of the Brotherhood. Who is it that died to give Noob Siabot life, what is the name of the weak warrior that gave way to the strength that is now Noob Siabot?" Quan Chi asked the ceremonial question, his voice echoing throughout the Netherrealm. The Warrior's eyes began to glow with his new powers as he answered the question.

"Lui Kang."


End file.
